Container



Jan. 10, v1950 K. s. sTll..| 2,494,456

CONTAINER Filed March 18, l194e;

Patented Jan. 10, 1950 UNITED STATES? PATENT OFFICE CONTAINER Kathleen S: Still,Y Chicago, Ill.

Application March 18; 1946, Serial No'. 655,048

6 Claims,... Y(Cl. 12S-272) This invention -relates to a--container and more particularly to a multi-compartmented container primarily intended-for sterile --pharmaceutical or medicinal products.-

Certain pharrnaceuticals.consist of materials which are stable indefinitely or for a reasonable length of time, but kwhich-when in solutionbecome unstable and deteriorate; for example, penicillin, many of;the.arsenicals,-certain hormones,

and other labile materials. At the present time able to--m-ix two liquids at-the'time of use-andi" not before.

The present device permits the solution of a solid in a solvent without any contact with the outside air, or the mixing of two solutions in the same manner. This is made possible by providing a multi-chambered container comprising two transparent flasks, preferably of glass, one inside the other, with each having a substantially axial opening in one end thereof, preferably the top, the open ends being contiguous so that a hypodermic needle can be passed through both at one time, and then sealing these openings with diaphragrns of well-known form. When the container is designed to hold more than one dose so that a part only of the contents will be withdrawn from time to time the outside diaphragm, at least, should be self-sealing so as to keep out air and other materials. When the container is designed to hold only a single dose none of the diaphragme need be self-sealing unless desired. A hypodermic needle may be passed through both diaphragms to the inner container or iiask, the proper amount of material drawn into it and then the needle withdrawn into the chamber of the outer ask for addition of the interior material to the solution or solid. Obviously, the roles of the two asks may be reversed,

since the needle may be rst filled from the outer container and then the contents ejected into the internal container.

The invention will be described as related to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. Of the drawings Fig. 1 is a vertical 2, section taken substantiallythroughthe center ofa container embodying the invention; Fie'. 2 is-fa plan View of the container of Fig. l; Fig. 3 isa horizontal section-taken-along line 3 3 off-Figa@ 1; and Fig. 4 is afragmentary vertical-*sectionU taken substantially through the center of a con-- tainer showing a second embodiment of the invention.

The-container of Figsyl to 3 comprises-acentra1 ask le, an outer, larger flaskl I, a self-seal ing puncturable diaphragm I2 closing off the mouth I3 of the inner iia'sk- Ill, and a stopper'III- l over the mouth I5- of the Aouter ask' II. The 2 stopper ill includes'alsecond'selfesealing pun`cturable diaphragm- I6. The two flasks I0 andY II have a common bottom I'I, andthe two flasks" are-substantially coaxial with the mouths I3 and* I5 also 4coaxial and atV corresponding ends of the flasks-'-v The stopper I4 has-aV depending portion I8 on the outside of the mouth` I5 and a second depending portion IS on the-inside of themoutlrIS.V The; diaphragm'-v I6 extends acrossthe top ofV the stopper and has a depressed section 2B at substantially the center to reduce the thickness of the diaphragm at this point.

The interior 2l o f the inner ask I0 may contain a liquid or a solid, while the space 22 between the inner flask I0 and the outer ask II may be filled with a solid or a liquid. When the container is in use at least one of the spaces 2l and 22 must contain a liquid.

When the container holds two liquids as shown, a hypodermic needle 23 may be inserted through the diaphragm I B and through the diaphragm I2. Some of the liquid may be withdrawn from the central flask I'II into the needle 23 and then ejected into the liquid in the space 22 between the two flasks. Here complete mixing may be obtained by shaking the container, and the resulting solution may then be drawn into the needle 23. This is only one Way of using the container, as the roles of the two asks may be reversed if desired. Also one flask may contain liquid While the other one contains solid. Then the liquid would be drawn into the needle, injected into the compartment containing the solid, the two materials mixed, and the resulting solution or dispersion drawn into the needle.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 4 is similar to that just described, but requires a different type closure for the two asks. In this second embodiment the stopper II4 is open at the top but has a depending portion |24 extending down from inside the mouth II5 of the outer flask to cover 3 the outer surface of the mouth H3 of the inner flask. At the bottom of the depending portion 124 there is located a diaphragm H2 closing off the mouth of the inner flask.

In this second embodiment of the invention the needle |23 is inserted into the two flasks in substantially the same manner as described above. Howeveiyin this case the needle must be inserted through the depending portion 124 of the stopper! I4.

The diaphragms i2, I6, H2, and 124 may be made of any inert puncturable material and may or may not be self-sealing. These materials are well-known in the art.

Having described my invention as related to the embodiments set out in the accompanying drawings, it is my intention that the invention be not limited by the details of description unless otherwise specied, but rather be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as set out in the accompanying claims.

VI claim:

1. A container comprising at least two transparent flasks with one inside the other, openings at corresponding ends of the flasks with the openings being spaced from each other, and puncturable diaphragms iixed in position and closing each opening, with the openings being axially aligned, and the flasks are provided with a bottom common to both.

2. A container comprising two transparent flasks one inside the other and coaxially aligned, axial openings at corresponding ends of the flasks with the openings being spaced from each other, and puncturable diaphragms fixed in position and closing each opening, with the two asks having a single bottom common to both.

3. The container of claim 2 wherein the sides of the two flasks are spaced from each other.

4. A container comprising a transparent flask having a neck portion and an opening, a second transparent flask of smaller diameter Within the iirst flask also having a neck portion and an opening, said iiasks having a common bottom to provide an integral structure with the openings being at corresponding ends of the flasks and spaced from each other, and self-sealing puncturable diaphragms fixed in position and closing each opening.

5. A container comprising a transparent flask having a neck portion and an opening, a second transparent flask of smaller diameter within the first flask also having a neck portion and an opening, said two flasks being joined together to make an integral structure, a puncturable diaphragm fixed in position and closing the opening of the inner bottle, and a puncturable well connecting the neck portions of the two bottles.

6. A container comprising an outer flask having an opening therein, at least one inner iiask within the outer ilask also having an opening, said ilasks being joined together to make an integral structure and said openings being on corresponding ends of the asks, and a puncturable diaphragm normally closing off each opening, said diaphragms being fixed in position` KATHLEEN s. STILL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 567,199 Rively Sept. 8, 1896 651,250 Howland- Sherman et al. June 5, 1900 1,706,335 Toch Mar. 19, 1929 2,028,751 Barton Jan. 28, 1936 2,321,998 Crouch et al. June 15, 1943 2,371,774 Nosik Mar, 20, 1945 2,385,648 Prager Sept. 25, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 332,827 Great Britain July 31, 1930 

